Pre-modern medicine seminars: Spring 2015 programme

Two women and a man work at distilling the properties of plants and herbs. From Eucharius Rösslin, ‘Kreuterbuch, von natürlichem Nutz…’, 1550 (EPB 5522/D). Wellcome Images reference: L0042117.

The History of Pre-Modern Medicine seminar series returns this month. The 2014-15 series – organised by a group of historians of medicine based at London universities and hosted by the Wellcome Library – will conclude with four seminars in the Spring term.

The series is focused on pre-modern medicine, which we take to cover European and extra-European history before the 20th century (antiquity, medieval and early modern history, some elements of 19th-century medicine). The seminars are open to all.

PROGRAMME FOR SPRING 2015

Tuesday 20th January 2015: Dr Clare Hickman (King’s College London), ‘Gardens of Improvement: Scientific, agricultural and botanical landscapes created by British medical practitioners in the late Georgian period’

Tuesday 3rd February 2015: Prof Carole Rawcliffe (University of East Anglia), ‘Poky Pigges and Stynkynge Makerels’: Food Standards and Urban Health in Later Medieval England’

Tuesday 17th February 2015: Dr Patricia Skinner (University of Winchester), ‘Approaching medieval disfigurement: a medical problem?’

Tuesday 3rd March 2015: Dr Mark Jenner (University of York), ‘Polite and Polluted? Nightmen and the Selling of Sanitary Services in London c.1600-c.1850’

All seminars will take place in the Wellcome Library, 183 Euston Road, NW1 2BE. Doors at 6pm prompt, seminars will start at 6.15pm.

Organising Committee: Elma Brenner (Wellcome Library), Michael Brown (Roehampton, convenor), Elena Carrera (QMUL), Sandra Cavallo (RHUL), John Henderson (Birkbeck, London), William MacLehose (UCL), Anna Maerker (KCL), Patrick Wallis (LSE), Ronit Yoeli-Tlalim (Goldsmiths).

Enquiries to Michael Brown (University of Roehampton: michael.brown@roehampton.ac.uk) or Ross MacFarlane (Wellcome Library: R.MacFarlane@wellcome.ac.uk)